


Did You Really Have To Stay?

by Cookiemonster2000



Series: Zim likes Gaz. That is All [4]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Child Neglect, Cold Weather, Cuddling, Dib Trying His Best, Dysfunctional Family, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Family Issues, GIR being a shipper, Gaz pushing people away, Homelessness, Hurt/Comfort, Literal Sleeping Together, Non-Consensual Cuddling, Older Dib (Invader Zim), Older Gaz, Protectiveness, Sharing Clothes, Soft Zim, Thunderstorms, Zim Does Not Understand Humans (Invader Zim), sibling relationships, until he starts yelling again, which makes it sound worse than it is hgfdj
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-17
Updated: 2020-09-17
Packaged: 2021-03-07 21:34:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26514511
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cookiemonster2000/pseuds/Cookiemonster2000
Summary: Being a casual runaway isn't the worst thing in the world for Gaz Membrane. She can handle herself. But when the weather takes a turn for the worse, and she hasn't slept in a few days, even she understands she's not a machine, and that finding a place to crash would be better than contracting hypothermia.Unfortunately, her options are somewhat limited. But Zim, her maybe-kind of friendquaintence, owes her a favor.
Relationships: Dib & Gaz (Invader Zim), Gaz & Zim (Invader Zim), Gaz/Zim (Invader Zim)
Series: Zim likes Gaz. That is All [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1574773
Comments: 3
Kudos: 42





	Did You Really Have To Stay?

**Author's Note:**

> this was a livewrite i did on the zagr server for my pals !!!! it's a bit choppy for that reason but i hope this gives a little more insight into what's going on in the Membrane household (and in Zim's own head). This occurs well after the events of Tradition and directly before the beginning of Dib is a Certified Moron, for reference. Hope you enjoy!!! :DDDDDDD

"I need a ride."

Gaz's hands shook from the cold as rain poured down around her. She hadn't brought an umbrella to the gaming competition, as she hadn't expected a sudden downpour, so her plan to hike leisurely back home (or possibly steal a scooter again) was ruined. she bit back a growl when the voice on the other end was dripping with smug self-assuredness. 

"You dare demand a favor from Zim?"

"Are you really going to refuse?" Gaz barely bit back the snarl. "You owe me."

Silence on the other end. The rain pelted the streets around her. It was already dark from the overcast sky, but the sun was setting behind the clouds and Gaz wasn't in the mood to be out in the middle of the night in unfamiliar streets during a storm. Not tonight. Not again.

A loud peal of thunder cracked down less than a mile away. Gaz didn't flinch.

"What was that?" Zim demanded from the other end, as if it as her fault.

"Lightning, idiot."

"Why do you. . ."

Gaz cut off his question before he could finish. "Why don't you come pick me up and you can find out."

On the other end, Zim shuddered a bit. "I hear water."

"I won't get you wet. Happy?" If he didn't agree, she was going to begin walking to his house and beat the living daylights out of him. . . . . after the several hours it was going to take her to get there. She teetered on her feet as another dizzy spell hit her, thrusting a hand out against the cold, dripping brick wall for support.

" _Fine_. What's the address?"

Gaz stuck her head out from under the overhang that protected her from getting even more soaked to the bone than she already was, reading off the address from the side of the building at which she had taken shelter.

"Is that a busy street?"

"In this weather?" she snorted. "No, I'm the only one out here."

Even the homeless had taken shelter under the bridges several blocks away. Gaz wasn't afraid of them--no one who wasn't a _whiner_ would be-- but she still preferred not to be looked at or talked to if she could help it, which meant solitude was the best option.

The phone was hung up with a click, which probably meant Zim was on his way over and hadn't bothered to say goodbye. Gaz tugged her useless, sopping jacket off her shoulders and began attempting to wring it out, pressing her back further against the wall. Might have been nice if the jerk had stayed on the call when he came to pick her up. It wasn't like she could play games on her phone to distract herself, and she wasn't sure if she wanted to after a tournament like that.

She hadn't won. She'd been distracted.

When Zim finally arrived about a half hour later, Gaz had begun shivering uncontrollably. She'd considered heading back to the tournament building a few times in hopes they'd let her back in, but she was reluctant to walk back the several blocks she'd already come and make it so her ride wouldn't be able to find her. Her phone had also died, or it was waterlogged to the point where she could no longer turn it on, which was more likely.

The voot cruiser was disguised as a car, and badly. A couple of what looked to be pieces of cardboard were duct-taped on. Between it and Zim and Gir's costumes, Gaz wasn't all that impressed with Irken cloaking technology, and even as she shivered violently, she gave it a patronizing one-over as the top slid ajar slightly to reveal her driver and also keep the rain out.

Zim's face was visible under the crack as he ducked his head to make eye contact with her. His expression soured as he got a good look at her, sopping and pissed as a wet cat.

"You _said_ you wouldn't get me wet." he said accusingly.

"I'm outside in the rain. You didn't bring me a _towel_?" Gaz was near-furious.

"You didn't _ask_ for a towel!"

She groaned, grabbing the top and shoving it up further so she could clamber in, ignoring Zim's grumbles of protest as splatters of water were tossed haphazardly inside the warm, dry cockpit.

As Gaz settled in the seat beside him, Zim scooted away a bit. She glared at him, and he glared right back.

"What? I'M getting you home, you don't have to touch me to do it."

"What, not covered in your nasty paste?" Gaz remembered him yelling something about the paste once when she'd accidentally splashed him with water from the sink. She could put two and two together. 

He sniffed. "Of _course_ I am. I still don't like water."

"Baby," Gaz muttered, leaning her elbow on the glass as she looked out the window, anywhere but her rude chauffeur as he voot took off into the night.

A crack of lightning lit up the stormy sky, illuminating the silhouette of the ship against the clouds. Gaz figured nobody would notice, probably. Zim seemed to agree, though he was glaring ahead of them in concentration, bringing the voot higher and higher.

"What are you doing?"

"Getting above the clouds," he said, like it was obvious. 

The ship didn't seem to have any windshield wipers, so she figured this was logical enough. Swallowing as her ears popped a bit from the altitude change, Gaz's body was wracked with another violent shudder, drawing Zim's attention.

"What are you doing."

"I'm _shivering_." she spat. "It happens when humans get COLD."

He stuck his tongue out at her. "I knew that."

Even Gaz wasn't one to bite the hand that was feeding her, so she let him get away with that. As long as he actually dropped her off. . .

After a long moment where her mind frantically tried to think of an alternative, Gaz clapped her hands over her face in frustration. She'd been so preoccupied with getting out of the rain quickly, she hadn't considered where she wanted to be going.

"Hey, Zim?" she managed.

"What."

"Don't take me home."

At this, he looked at her in surprise. "What? But you're clearly in a state of discomfort, you're in no state to be anywhere else."

"None of your business! I'd just rather not go home yet."

"It is Zim's business when I'M THE ONE PILOTING YOU, REMEMBER."

It wouldn't be good to just beat him up in his own ship, Gaz reminded herself fervently. That would backfire. Just. . . . explain the bare minimum.

"I had a _disagreement_ with Dib and Dad and I'm not going home for a while."

Zim pressed some buttons on the dashboard and leaned back, folding his arms and fixing her with a pointed look. "A while. And where will you be going if not home."

"Well, Dad will know where I am if I try to use his credit card to stay at a hotel or something, and I don't know if he's looking for me or not yet. I can't go to any of my usual places either, or Dib will be able to find me there. So. . ."

Zim's blank stare informed her he really wasn't understanding her implication.

"Your _base_ , Zim. I need to stay at your base."

As she expected, he let out a peal of cackling. "HA!! You expect me to just let you WALK IN an IRKEN BASE??? You're even stupider than you LOOK, dirt-child."

"Hey! You owe me more than just a voot ride, you sack of alien meat, and you _know_ it." Gaz growled. "One night at your base. I won't go in your stupid lab, I won't mess around in your kitchen. Just let me hang out on your couch until tomorrow, I'll find somewhere else in the morning."

Zim stopped laughing long enough to smack his hands against the dashboard again. "What makes you think I can trust you in my incredible base? I won't let just ANYONE in there. You have to prove you are WORTHY, HUMAN."

His mouth closed immediately as Gaz scooted over until she was right beside him, putting both arms out to block him from moving. She opened her eyes as he pressed himself as far back as possible from her dripping, freezing body.

"Zim," she said, "I haven't slept in three days. I'm probably contracting hypothermia. And I just. . . . If you don't agree to let me stay in your living room, I am going to kill you right now." As if to punctuate her statement, she convulsed from cold, not dropping eye contact as he shifted uncomfortably at her erratic movement.

Zim swallowed hard, gaze flicking between her eyes and her arms. He blinked, then quickly shoved her away, brushing off his own arms hastily. After she sat back and closed her eyes again, he regained his voice, along with his haughty tone.

"Yes, yes, very Irken of you, fine, you may stay. But you will owe me a GREAT debt of EXTRAORDINARY magnitude."

  
Gaz couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, however small and imperceptible, when the roof to Zim's house retracted and the cruiser landed neatly inside. She could've sworn his eyes flicked over to her as she did so, but he refrained from commenting, so Gaz really didn't care.

"The living room is upstairs," Zim declared as the ship's top opened with a _fwshhh_. "Since I can't trust you not to poke around, I will accompany--"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." She dismissed him, turning away without a proper response.

Only when she clumsily climbed out of the ship and began making her way towards the elevator did Zim clear his throat and begin to ask more uncomfortable questions.

"So, you say you were awake for. . . . three days. That's not ideal for human beings, is it?"

"No," she said shortly.

He slipped into the tiny room next to her, but didn't stop looking at her with that half suspicious, half curious gaze. The doors slid shut, leaving them in slight darkness, but Zim seemed to be lost in thought. Gaz tapped her foot impatiently, and he finally pressed a button to begin the lift's ascent.

"Why?"

"None of your business." Gaz failed to bite back a yawn that ripped her mouth open forcibly. When she opened her eyes again, Zim was looking at her again with that same expression.

"What."

"WHAT??" he echoed, looking away quickly.

She squinted at him, but Zim hopped up and out of the trash can exit, neatly cutting off the interaction. Gaz groaned but followed him out.

Once they crossed the threshold, Gaz stopped walking abruptly. "Great, I'm in your living room, awesome. You can leave me alone now."

Zim continued to stalk forwards, flopping down onto the sofa.

"Not so fast, _human_. I let you into my base. The least you can do is answer a few questions for me."

"I don't have to answer anything." Gaz stormed over to the sofa to stand over him. There was a crack of thunder outside, but neither moved from their position. She glared down, waiting for him to speak again.

Finally, he did. "Sit down."

"No."

"You BEGGED me to let you sit on this sofa, and now you REFUSE to sit on it because I'm sitting on it, too?" Zim raised a nonexistent eyebrow, smirking.

Gaz glared viciously, but felt herself swaying on her feet. She'd dried off a lot in the ride, and the house was warmer and cozier than she'd been expecting, so exhaustion was starting to set in. Finally she sat down next to the alien, cursing her own physical weaknesses, but being sure to sit a good foot and a half away from the jerk.

She shuddered again, and wrapped her arms around her torso. The warmth of the air couldn't seem to seep in properly. . . she felt like a wet cat, only twice as ruffled.

"Your clothes aren't drying."

"No, they aren't," Gaz snapped. "I don't suppose you have a few replacements?"

He glared. "I don't have any HUMAN clothing, much less anything YOU would want. I have a few spare uniforms, but your filthy. . ."

"Right, right, you don't want me touching anything, GREAT. Can you leave now?"

Zim hopped off the sofa. Before he could change his mind, Gaz stretched her legs out where he had just been so he couldn't sit back down. He growled audibly, but stormed out of the room, muttering something about _ungrateful humans_.

After ripping her shoes and socks off, Gaz closed her eyes, trying to maybe get some rest, but her damp clothes made it impossible to get comfortable. After two minutes of turning and shifting, she was at her wit's end.

Zim came back in as she was just sitting up. Anger bubbled up in her chest but before she could articulate anything scathing enough for him, he held out an armful of clothes.

" _You_ are cleaning these when you're done with them," was all he said as he dumped them on her lap.

Gaz blinked, and looked up. Zim turned around, exiting the room again.

"I'm going to watch you to make sure you don't do anything, so tell me when you're done exposing your hideous body," he said over his shoulder, stepping into the trash can lift and disappearing.

Quickly, Gaz pulled her top up over her head and, after some consideration, left her bra on, damp as it was. She wasn't keen on getting rid of her underclothes in someone else's house with no replacements, alien though he might be. 

The cloth was strangely starchy, but somehow comfortable and, more importantly, _dry_. It was also long enough on her that she could comfortably remove her skirt from underneath it without feeling exposed.

There was another thing Zim had dropped on her lap, something cloth, but it didn't seem to be pants or any other kind of clothes. Confused, she held it up, letting it fall open. It was a tarp, but soft and thick instead of crinkly and thin. Something resembling a blanket. . . Gaz allowed herself to wonder what it even _was_ , since Irkens didn't need to sleep and didn't seem to prioritize comfort, before she lifted it to her face and remembered that she didn't care.

The half of the sofa she'd been rolling around on had been dampened, so Gaz moved over begrudgingly to the side Zim had been camped on, curling up against the back and pulling the blanket up over her shoulders and snuggling into it. As she got used to the dark and began to feel herself nodding off, a slow, dull awareness of her environment drifted into her mind.

The silence of Zim's base was . . . interesting. Gaz was used to the quiet at her home, the quiet of no one or the quiet of Dib clicking away at his keyboard in his room, occasionally moving around or dropping something, the latter of which ensured she, a light sleeper, be woken up easily, and the former of which she told herself she preferred. In Zim's base, there was a strange, humming _whirr_ that was ever-present. Deep below, something seemed to breathe with mechanical life, and regularly, the house seemed to shift a bit. It was comfortable in a way Gaz couldn't explain, and she could feel herself nodding off softly.

She jerked awake slightly, despite her exhaustion, when the soft footsteps came up beside her. Freezing in place, she listened with all her might.

The couch beside her shifted, as someone had sat down as quietly as possible.

Gaz stopped caring at that point as everything drifted away into the abyss. All she could feel was the comforting warmth of this home and these clothes and this blanket and sofa and the comforting presence of the person sitting beside her. . .

* * *

Dreams were always hard for Gaz to pin down, but she knew there was nothing but softness in the feeling of being _held_ that enveloped her. As light filtered in from the windows in the morning, Gaz's eyes slowly flitted open, and for a moment, she couldn't understand why she felt such a crushing disappointment in seeing Zim's house and not her own. 

But as the blanket slid down and Gaz reoriented herself, she became more and more aware she was leaning against something solid. Something was draped over her shoulders, and. . . someone's hand was touching her hair--petting it ever-so-slightly--??

Immediately snapping out of her dazed state, Gaz fell backwards in panic, thrashing about in self-defense. "WHO!!" she managed to croak, mentally cursing her brain for being a few seconds delayed behind the rest of her.

Zim-- because of _course_ it was Zim, who _else_ would it be, she was in his _base_ \--stared at her bug-eyed. She vaguely recognized the stare as markedly different than last night's that had bothered her so much--that one was directed AT her, somewhat accusatory, made her angry, like he was trying to make her feel guilty for her decisions and life. This look was-- no, it couldn't be.

Gaz sat up and pulled the blankets around herself and his eyes flicked down and up again and yes, he _was,_ flustered, and guilty. Like a schoolchild caught with his hand in the cookie jar.

Zim's mouth opened and closed comically. He clapped his hands together quickly, rubbing them together so violently it like he was trying to rub off some corrosive substance that was coating them.

"Wh. . . You. . . . . Why. . . . Did you have an arm around me in my SLEEP?" Gaz could have sworn she had fallen asleep on the arm of the sofa, leaning away from him. Had she moved? Had HE moved HER? _Why was he sitting there??_ "Have you been here all NIGHT??"

At this, Zim's face lit up spectacularly in what could only be recognized as a fantastic blush. He jumped up from the couch, trying to look intimidating. 

"I TOLD you I had to WATCH you!!!" he screeched defensively.

"DID YOU HAVE TO CUDDLE ME TO DO IT???" Gaz was wide awake now, and she was pretty sure her own face was violently flushed. She probably wouldn't have been able to get the words out if she wasn't certain it would embarrass him more than herself. 

"I WAS SITTING IN THE MOST COMFORTABLE SPOT!! NOW GET OUT!!!!!"

Gaz looked around wildly. Her clothes were gone. "WHERE'D YOU PUT THEM??"

"HUH???"

"MY CLOTHES! I'M NOT WEARING THIS OUT ON THE STREET!!!" She jumped up, dumping the blanket on the ground and revealing the irken insignia splayed across her chest. Zim's face, which was already quite flushed, went entirely red for reasons Gaz didn't understand one bit. His response shout died in his throat as he gestured wildly, then, realizing none of his attempts at communication were working, he turned tail and fled from the room, stomping as loudly as he could to indicate his displeasure

Gaz tracked down her clothes, strewn messily on the kitchen countertop. If she was right in her assumption that, after sitting down, Zim probably hadn't moved much all night, it may have been moved by GIR after a well-meaning barked order from his master. They didn't smell as bad as she expected after a night of rain, but they weren't exactly in the condition for her to wear in public.

Sighing heavily, Gaz checked her phone, which was miraculously in one piece sitting on the table. Apparently it had been waterlogged last night and now was dried, because it turned on properly. There were several missed messages from Dib, who--as she could tell just from glancing at the most recent of which--still hadn't realized she was gone, and zero from her father.

_Expecting nothing. Still let down._

From down below, Zim had apparently reached his destination, as she could hear him thrashing about. GIR's insane laughter rang out as something shattered, and she heard him clearly scream something along the lines of "WE BREAKIN' THIIIINGS????" which was met with another crash. 

Well, Zim could throw his hissy fit all he wanted. Gaz needed more clean clothes, and to get the rest of her wardrobe she needed to go back home, which would be a bitter defeat she hadn't been willing to swallow last night. But still, in the morning sunshine, hearing the stupid alien make a mess of his own base for no reason, Gaz didn't seem to mind as much heading back, at least to get changed in the comfort of her own room. Losing the tournament and being stuck out in the cold thunderstorm alone was a top contender for _one of_ the worst nights of her life, even if the first few slots were already solidly cemented in place by certain other events. It was strange that even despite that lack of _noticing_ she now admitted in her own mind that she wanted from her dad and brother, and that unhappy evening she hadn't quite liked that feeling of being totally alone, she knew life was going to go on.

Another crash. GIR popped his head out of the trash can, grinning like a Cheshire cat.

"MASTAH SAYS YOU'RE MEAN."

"Shut up," she said absentmindedly as she folded her clothes in her arms. It was still early enough that no one would be out in the street. . .

Maybe she could walk home in this after all. Wasn't a long trip, anyway, and Zim did ask her to clean it for him, even if he _was_ rude about it.

Glancing down, she could tell that it didn't look terrible on her figure, and she had to admit the insignia looked pretty cool, or would have if she didn't already associate it with such a joke of an invader.

It wouldn't look half-bad with a jacket. And . . . yeah, after all that, he definitely still owed her.

On the trek home, the puddles flooded the streets. The heat from the rising sun was warm enough to keep her comfortable, though, and the sidewalks were deserted enough that Gaz could relax. 

Once she'd reached the door, the nervous, stressed energy that had neatly seeped away during the morning had bubbled back up. Gaz's hand only shook slightly before she clenched her fists, grabbing the handle and twisting it angrily.

"Hi, Gaz!" Dib called from the sofa. He was strewn out across it, still in his PJ's, watching TV with a bowl of cereal on his lap. His tone shifted to a forced kind of casual as he took his legs down from the cushions. "So, where have you been the last few days?"

The sudden pressure behind her eyes hit her like a ton of bricks. A tiny part of her was furious at Dib for catching her off-guard-- _He knew_ \-- but she composed herself in record time, snorting and moving to take a seat beside her brother. He still hadn't looked away from the TV.

"If you must know, I was at a gaming competition downtown."

"For four days?" His eyes were fixed on the screen.

She suddenly felt tired again.

"No. But you didn't come looking for me or anything."

"Like that's ever done any good before."

Gaz shifted to pull her legs up and wrap her arms around them, setting her chin on her knees with a shuddery sigh. Finally, he looked at her, and did a double-take.

"What are you _wearing_?"

"I borrowed it from a friend," she snapped, instinctively unfurling to raise a fist. That was a mistake, as Dib could now recognize the insignia splayed across her chest.

"You were--!" he yelped. Gaz's face darkened, and Dib quickly corrected his tone.

"You were with _Zim?"_

"Only last night! I crashed on his couch cause I hadn't-- I was tired and I didn't feel like coming home."

"Gaz, I've been camped here the past twelve hours waiting for you!"

"You didn't text me!"

"You never reply to my texts anyway, I didn't want to--" Dib groaned and rubbed his temples. "You look awful."

Gaz raised a threatening eyebrow, but he just shrugged. "Look in a mirror, you look like you're homeless."

"When did you notice I was gone?"

"A couple days ago, I spent a night in the woods. When I got home, I realized I hadn't seen you in a bit--that was yesterday at like 2 AM. I spent all of that day trying to figure out if someone had kidnapped you or something--"

"You think ZIM could kidnap me??" Gaz demanded, incredulous. "What kind of--"

"It was the only thing I could think of, I didn't think you'd just vanish for no reason!! I figured you wanted to be left alone, so I didn't send you anything that would have let you know I knew you were missing, and you weren't responding to those texts, so I decided to just wait here for you to--"

"Why wouldn't you call me??" she growled. "It was storming last night!!"

"I thought you LIKED--Gaz, when it comes to you, I have no idea what I'm supposed to be doing!!" Dib shot back. "It's not like I got a manual!"

"What, like you're my _dad_? You're not, Dib!"

Dib opened his mouth to retaliate, but instead he bit his lip and looked away, shaking his head. "You look awful," he repeated. "So, you should probably take a shower, then go get some more sleep. Also--" he squinted at her outfit, "--go change."

Gaz folded her arms and glared. "I _like_ this outfit."

He looked like he was going to combust, but then he simply smacked his hand to his forehead. "Whatever."

She jumped to her feet and headed for the stairs, picking back up the pile of stuff she'd dumped on the floor upon entering.

"Oh, wait-- Gaz?"

Gaz stopped halfway up the stairs.

"If you need to get away again. . . ." Dib struggled for words. "Just-- Let me know first, okay??"

". . . Fine."

* * *

The warm water of the shower calmed her squirming insides down as she gratefully lathered her hair in shampoo. 

Downstairs, the doorbell rang, but Gaz closed her eyes and forced herself not to care who it was. It didn't matter.

Dib wasn't expecting anyone, and Gaz was already upstairs, so having the doorbell ring was a shock to him. He glanced himself up and down--messy PJ's, probably somewhat smelly, disheveled aura-- and shrugged. Whoever it was probably wasn't anyone important.

The door swung open, and Zim stood there, posing dramatically, holding a bunch of weeds he'd clearly stolen from a neighbor's lawn. A dirt-caked GIR crouched behind his legs, giggling like a maniac.

Dib's mouth fell open as Zim cleared his throat pretentiously, his eyes squeezed shut as if he was afraid to look at whoever he intended on addressing.

"I would like you to KNOW, pitiful HUMAN, that I was under an unspoken threat of extreme violence from your EXTREMELY VOLATILE self if i awoke you from your STUPID slumber. I believe we left on the wrong foot and I would like you to acknowledge my clear SUPERIORITY in the situation, but in my vast and amazing thoughtfulness, ZIM has brought you an appropriate gift that girl-worms are supposed to, eh, i dunno, like."

"YEAH!!!" GIR chimed in from behind as Zim thrust out the "bouquet".

"BE QUIET!!! ANYWAY yes don't read into anything too much. I MIGHT have SOME semblance of . . . _cough respect for you_ BUT don't let it go to your head. One day I will wipe out your entire race and you will plead for mercy at my feet and all that, anyway take this."

Dib had only let Zim continue this far because he had hardly stopped for breath and he still couldn't find it in him to formulate sentences. One of the alien's eyes popped open cautiously.

  
The downstairs erupted with screams, but Gaz calmly finished washing her hair. Though usually insufferable, the noise was. . . comforting.

Despite the odds, she was happy to be home.

**Author's Note:**

> direct questions, concerns, and requests at vampirepiggyhunterdefensesquad on tumblr :)


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